Currently this type of burners constitutes the greatest market share for residential oil heating systems. The examples of such burners are well known Beckett AF, AFG, SR, and SF burners--products of R.W. Beckett Corporation. For optimum efficiency the nozzle must be positioned at a certain distance from the combustion head (specification is in the oil burner manual). In addition, if the nozzle position is wrong then several major problems could arise such as, carbon buildup on the combustion head or no spark due to shorted electrodes on the combustion head. These problems cause malfunctioning of the burner and a technician is called upon to fix the burner. The proper nozzle position is achieved by setting the nozzle assembly (drawer assembly) with the escutcheon plate screw located on the burner housing.
The newly invented gauge has been manufactured for and distributed by the Inventor since Spring, 1998 under the name--NASgauge.TM..
To see why technicians need the NASgauge (Nozzle Assembly Setting Gauge), let us take a look at the problems that they occasionally encounter during service calls and clean-ups:
1. The nozzle assembly or nozzle adapter is changed PA1 2. The nozzle assembly was moved due to loose escutcheon plate screw PA1 3. Carbon build-up is found on the combustion head PA1 4. Delayed or no ignition occurs that could be a result of shorted electrodes on the combustion head PA1 5. The homeowner is suspected of tampering with the burner
Dealing with the first two problems, adjustment of the nozzle assembly is required. To solve the rest of the above listed problems checking of the nozzle position in relationship to the combustion head or the adjustment of the nozzle assembly is necessary because there is no way to know if the nozzle assembly was set properly to begin with.
To avoid callbacks, technicians spend up to a half-hour making the necessary checking and/or adjustments using gauges provided by burner manufacturers (an example: Beckett multipurpose gauge, part T-500). With such gauges on the market the burner must be removed from the appliance in order to set the nozzle assembly. Such gauge is applied by a technician to the front part of the combustion head and necessary adjustments are made. However, to do this is not so simple because the burner must be removed from the appliance. To remove the burner a technician has to dismantle components that have no bearing on the nozzle assembly. Rusty studs securing the burner and a broken flange gasket hamper the dismantling process. Assembling the unit can also be complicated by oil line fittings (compression type) that don't go back together quite as well and then leak. Since traditional methods of making these adjustments is time consuming, technicians sometimes set the nozzle assembly by guess. Such adjustment sometimes provide a fix but often create a problem so that a technician is called upon to set the correct nozzle position.